(NewsNation) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing criticism over a reported plan to fire all 16 members of a federal advisory panel that helps determine which cancer screenings and preventive services insurers must cover at no cost to patients.
The group in question, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, provides evidence-based recommendations on screenings such as breast and colon cancer and plays a role in shaping coverage for millions of Americans.
The plan was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which cited sources claiming Kennedy believes the plane is “too woke.” NewsNation has not independently confirmed the potential firings but has requested a comment from the Department of Health and Human Services.
AMA: Panel plays a ‘critical, nonpartisan’ role in patient health
The American Medical Association wrote a letter to Kennedy expressing “deep concern” over the potential dismissals.
The AMA said the panel plays a “critical, nonpartisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients.”
The organization is urging Kennedy to retain the previously appointed members and “ensure their important work can continue without interruption.”
AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala has pushed back on criticism of the panel as well as claims that it’s driven by partisan ideology.
“So the question is, why was this taken apart?” Mukkamala said. “What was the motivation to do that? What did we think that these folks were doing wrong, that then somebody else may be perceived as doing it better, for reasons that we have no idea what makes this person wrong and what makes this person right. And that’s where we’re concerned.”
Task force accused of being ‘too woke’
Kennedy’s reported plan comes in the wake of an article in the American Conservative Magazine, which accused the task force of harboring left-wing ideology.
Kennedy has since postponed the panel’s meeting scheduled this month.